1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for patterning a nanomaterial using solution evaporation and, more particularly, to a method for patterning a nanomaterial through solution evaporation, which includes coating the nanomaterial with a polymer material and uniformly dispersing the coated nanomaterial in a solvent to prepare a nanomaterial-containing solution, and pouring the nanomaterial-containing solution on a substrate to allow the nanomaterial to be patterned after solvent evaporation.
2. Description of the Related Art
With recent progress in miniaturization and/or integration of optic and electronic elements, extensive studies into not only nano-structural materials and preparation thereof but also utilization thereof have actively been conducted. In particular, for a nano-sized material having different electrical, optical and/or magnetic features from those of a bulk-sized material, studies into artificial arrangement or patterning (hereinafter, referred to as “patterning”) of nanomaterials, fabrication of elements, or the like, have actively been conducted over the world, in order to utilize the nano-sized material as a material for ultrafine electronic elements.
In order to use nanomaterials in a wide range of applications, a nanomaterial after preparation must be patterned in desired morphologies at desired sites. Also, in order to enable the foregoing techniques to be utilized in industrial applications, a simple process of easily, rapidly and conveniently patterning nanomaterials is strongly needed. However, it is still difficult to pattern nanomaterials with a desired shape and/or size in a desired direction. That is, patterning of a nanomaterial requires very complicated and difficult processes, as well as a long processing time and high processing costs.
Photolithographic techniques are based on a principle that, when a specific photoresist receives light, a chemical reaction occurs to modify inherent properties of the photoresist and, more particularly, involve a series of complicated processes including; depositing a film on a substrate and applying photoresist thereto, selectively exposing the photoresist using UV wavelength, developing the exposed photoresist, etching the film using the developed photoresist as a mask, and releasing the photoresist. Accordingly, due to not only complicated and cumbersome stages but also requirement of various apparatuses, such apparatuses may occupy a large installation area and processing time and costs may be increased.
Other than such photolithographic techniques, ink-jet printing may be utilized to print a carbon nanotube material on a desired region, in turn patterning carbon nanotubes. However, it is difficult to prepare a uniform nanotube material using a solution type carbon nanotube material. Also, owing to fluidity of the carbon nanomaterial, the carbon nanomateiral does not have a constant and desired shape but flows, therefore, needs an additional process such as alternative patterning process to form a barrier, or the like.
Alternative methods, for example, dip-pen nanolithography such that a part of the substrate to be patterned is functionalized using a substance compatible with a nanomaterial and such a nanomaterial is adhered to the functionalized part, micro-contact printing, or the like, have been suggested, however, have not yet been employed in industrial applications due to high processing costs.
Therefore, there is a strong need to develop an improved patterning method of a nanomaterial using solution evaporation, in turn allowing the nanomaterial to be more easily, rapidly and simply patterned.